Gland



Dec. 24, 1940. H. LA BQUR 2,226,001

GLAND Filed May 6, 1938 j v [ram/2122!".- v Ha/w LQBOM 53/ f M Patented Dec. 24, 1940 I i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GLAND Harry E. La Bour, Elkhart, Ind. Application May 6, 1938, Serial No. 206,425

Claims. (Cl. 288-11) This invention relates to packing glands for of a gland structure which need not be disassemcentrifugal pumps and the like, and particularly bled when removing the impeller shaft from the concerned with rotary pumps and similar equippump casing, or vice versa. ment. While it is particularly designed for These and other objects and advantages of 5 handling corrosive liquids, because their leakage this invention will be apparent to those skilled must be an absolute minimum, it is also useful in the art after a consideration of the following for general purposes. detailed description taken in conjunction with The object and general purpose of this inventhe accompanying drawing illustrating the pretion is to provide a gland seal for a shaft or the ferred structural embodiment.

like in which there is a ground joint between In the drawing: 10 two relatively movable parts, preferably two Figure 1 is a fragmentary section taken longiplain surfaces affording metal-to-metal contact, tudinally through the impellershaft and assoone part having a sealed floating connection ciated parts of a pump embodying the principles with the casing through which the shaft extends. of my invention, the parts of the gland being A feature of this invention is the provision of a shown as corresponding to a section taken along 5 flexible sealing diaphragm of rubber or rubberthe line ll of Figure 2; like materialwhich is capable of universal move- Figure 2 is a section taken at a reduced scale ment and has one end connected to the casing along the line 22 of Figure 1, showing some and the other connected to a ring or the like what diagrammatically the means for circulatwhich sealingly seats against a shoulder on the ing oil or other lubricant through the gland; 20 shaft, inconnection with means which has a Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken at an floating connection with the casing for pressing enlarged scale along the line 33 of Figure 2; the sealing diaphragm and ring against the shaft and shoulder and holding the diaphragm and ring Figure 4 is a section similar to Figure 2, showagainst rotation with the shaft, but which nevering a modified form of means whereby the rota- 25 theless is capable of accommodating any eccention of the shaft produces oil circulation through tricity in the shaft without disturbing the tight the gland. seal provided by the gland. Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, I

Another feature of this invention is the prothe pump casing is indicated at l and includes vision of an inner sleeve which maintains the a wall 2, provided with an opening 3 which is 30 sealing ring and diaphragm in leak-tight relasurrounded by a flange 4 and through which tion with the shaft and which has limited unian impeller shaft 5 extends. Preferably, the versal movement in a' mounting ring or sleeve pump impeller 6 is formed separately from the which keeps the inner sleeve and ring from shaft 5 and has an axially bored hub 1 formed of Q rotating but which permits them to follow any any suitable material. The impeller hub is as eccentricitiesof the shaft. mounted on a reduced end 8 of the shaft by any A further feature of this invention is the suitable means, such as a bolt or cap screw 9 provision of an internally lubricated seal which threaded into the end 8 of the shaft. A screw reduces wear and equalizes and reduces the plug l0 threaded into the outer .end of the imtemperature of the parts during operation. peller huh 'I locks the screw 9. The shaft 5 is 40 Another important feature is the provision of shouldered, as at H, to receive the inner end of means for circulating lubricant through the the impeller hub 1. While the impeller 8 and gland, and, in this connection, it is a feature of hub 1 have been described as formed separately this invention to provide for the circulation of from the impeller shaft 5, it is to be understood 5 the lubricant by the action of the impeller shaft that either or both of these parts may be formed on the lubricant within the gland. intergrally with the shaft 5, if desired. Where Another feature is the provision of a gland the pump is particularlyadapted to handle cor-, construction embodying two seals, one being rosive liquids and the like, the impeller 6 and pl' cipally effective to prevent leakage of the hub I are formed of corrosion resistant material,

pumped fluid and the other spaced therefrom usually in the form of a special .alloy, and the and arranged to provide a seal holding lubricant axially facing shoulder. I2 at the inner end of within the gland to thereby reduce the friction the huh I is stellited or otherwise hardened. At at the points of contact and increase the effecits outer end the shaft I carries or is formed tiveness and-longevity of the seal. with another axially facing shoulder l5 WhlCll Still further, another feature is the provision is spaced from the shoulder 12. If desired, the

like the collar l2.

shoulders l2 and I4 may be provided-by collars or the like secured to the shaft. The shaft 5 is connected in any suitable manner to a motor or other driving means.

A mounting sleeve 25 is disposed in the opening 3 of the casing wall 2 and is held in place therein by a clamping collar 25 fastened to the pump casing 2 by cap screws 21, the casing 2 and the collar 28 having grooves 28 and 28 formed therein, respectively, to receive packing 30 sothat when the cap screws 21 are tightened the sleeve 25 is held firmly in the desired position in the opening 3 and in leaktight relation with respect to the casing 2.

As will be clear from Figure 1, a sealing ring 35, the external diameter of which is materially less than the internal diameter of the sleeve 25, is mounted about the shaft 5 and is disposed in sealing engagement with the shoulder i2. The sealing ring 35 maybe formed of .some hard, non-fibrous material, and preferably is stellited, If desired, the ring 35 may be formed of carbon or other suitable material. One or more pins 3G are pressed into radial holes in the ring 35 and are welded or otherwise secured in place. A similar ring 38 surrounds the shaft 5 outwardly of the casing and is disposed in sealing relation against the outer shaft shoulder M. The ring 38 is also 'provided with one or more radially inwardly extending pins 39. Preferably, although not necessarily, the rings 35 and 35 are identical, and the sealing surfaces thereof, together with the surfaces on the shoulders i2 and M, are ground accurately to lie in planes at right angles to the axis of rotation of.

the shaft 5. If desired, lugs may be employed instead of the pins 35 and 39, and they may be carried by the sleeves 60 and 58, with slots or the like in the sealing rings 35 and 38.

An inner retainer sleeve 45 is provided with flanges 4| and 42 and a skirt section 43 which is piloted in the sealing ring 35 and in which there is one or more slots or laws 44 that receive the I inner end of the pins 38. The inner shoulder 42 is adapted to seat against the inner end of a flexible diaphragm 45 which is formed of rubber or rubber-like material. The inner end of the diaphragm 45 is thickened or beaded, as at 41, and

. the outer end of the sealing ring 35 is formed with a groove 48 to receive the diaphragm end 41.

An outer retainer sleeve 58 is provided with inner and outer flanges 52 and 53 and a skirt section 54 which is piloted in the sealing ring 35 and has one or more slots 55 to receive the pins 38. A flexible diaphragm 56 has a thickened or beaded outer edge 51 which is disposed in a groove 53 formed at the inner end of the sealing ring 38.

- A plurality of springs 58 are disposed between the adjacent flanges 4| and 52 of the retainer sleeves 48 and 58 and exert a force holding the edges 41 and 51 of the flexible diaphragms 45 and 55 against the respective sealing rings 35 and 38, thus holding the latter in sealing engagement with the shoulders l2 and H on the impeller shaft 5. As many springs 50 may be provided as desired, and by way of illustration I have shown the gland as having four springs (Figure 2), although this may vary. if desired, the inner ends of the diaphragms 45 and 56 may be vulcanized or otherwise permanently secured to the sealing rings 35 and 38. The pin-and-slot connection between the sealing rings 35 and 38 and the inner sleeves 43 and 58 permits a limited amount of universal and I lateral movement of the rings relative to th sleeves.

The outer flange 65 of the inner flexible diaphragm 45 is held against the outer face of the ring or sleeve 25 by 'a spacing ring 56, and the outer flange 51 of the outer flexible diaphragm 55 is held against the other face of the spacing ring 65 by a clamping ring 58. The spacing ring 56 and the clampin ring 58 are provided with openings 1| and I2 through which a plurality of clamping screws I3 extend. The inner ends of the clamping screws 13 are threaded into tapped l0 openings 14 formed in the inner sleeve 25. The sleeve 25 and the spacing and clamping rings 65' and 58 have the same external diameter so that the packing 30 and ring 26 will seal the gland unit in diiferent positions within the opening 3 of the i5 pump casing.

The clamping surfaces on the members 25, 55 and 68 are provided with grooves 16 which cooperate with the outer flanges 65 and 61 of the diaphragm members in'establishing a liquid-tight 20 83 are pressed into the holes 8| and extend ax- 30 lally outwardly of the flange 88. The adjacent flanges 4| and 52 of the retainer sleeves 58 and 58 are provided with enlarged openings 85 and 85, respectively, in which the ends of the pins 83 are loosely received. The holes 82 loosely receive the 35 springs 58 which press the retainer sleeves outwardly and hold the sealing rings "Ii and 38 against the shoulders l2 and M. The pins 83 hold the retainer sleeves E8 and 58 against rotation, and the sleeves 48 and 58, in turn, hold the 40 aflords limited universal movement between the 45 sleeves 48 and 58 and the ring 56 that anchors them to the pump casing, the sealing rings I I and 38 and the sleeves 48 and 50 are capable of moving axially or angularly with the shaft 5 relative to the casing 2. Thus, any eccentricity in the 50 shaft 5 will not aflect the tight seal provided by the rings 35 and 38 under the bias of the springs which press them outwardly into engagement with the shoulders l2 and I4 at all times. i

The inner flexible diaphragm 45 has its inner surface in communication with the interior of i the pump, so that it is subjected to pressure orto suction, according to whether pressure or suction exists on the interior of the pump, but in order to insure that there will be no tendency for move- 60 ment of the central portion of the member 45 to pull the end 41 away from the sealing ring 35, or the ring 35 away from the shoulder l2, the move-. ment of the diaphragm is limited by the adjacent portions of the sleeve 25 and retainer sleeve 40. 65

Similarly, movement of the outer diaphragm 55 is limited by the retainer sleeve 5| and the clamping ring I3.

The retainer sleeves 40 and 58 and the sealing rings 35 and 38 are slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft 5 between the shoulders i2 and I4, thereby providing a chamber 80 which is adapted to receive lubricant,\which reaches the sealingsurfaces at 12 and I4, whi as mentioned above, are groimd so as to be pe ectiy planar- The construction also insures correct 25 radially of the shaft. The lubricant also reduces wear, keeps the gland cool, and equalizes the temperature in the various parts thereof. In. order to provide for a continuous circulation of lubricant through the chamber 90, the construction best shown in Figure 2 is employed. From this figure it will be noted that tapped openings SI and 92 are formed in the spacer ring 66 and corresponding openings 94 and 85 in the casing flange 4 register therewith. The openings SI and 92 lead into the chamber 90 and are disposed slightly to the right of the vertical center line passing through the gland. A tube 94 is inserted through the opening 94 and screwed into the opening 9i. At its upper end the tube 94 leads into an oil reservoir 95. A generally U-shaped tube 96 leads from the bottom of the reservoir 95 and extends up through the opening 95 and into the opening 92. Any suitable fittings may be employed for establishing these connections.

In operation, the shaft 5 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 2. and the action -of the rotating shaft draws oil intothe chamber 9|! from the pipe 96 through the lower opening 92 and forces oil out through the opening 9| into the pipe 94, thus maintaining a continuous circulation of oil through the chamber 80. The movement of the oil is' indicated by the small arrows in Fig. 2. Oil circulating through the chamber 90 also moves axially in opposite directions to lubricatethe contact surfaces on the sealing rings and shoulders on the shaft, reducing wear at these points and keeping the gland cool.

Tightening the cap screws 13 after the gland is assembled draws the clamping ring 84 against the spacing ring 66 and the latter against the sleeve 25, clamping the diaphragm flanges 65 and B1 firmly therebetween; However, in order that when full compression has been applied by the screws 13 no further compression of the flanges 68 and 61 is possible, the flanges I8 and 11 are arranged to engage the ring 68, thus insuring uniform compression on the rubber members and also correct alignment of the gland parts. when the gland parts are thus clamped together, the

v springs 60 act against the retainer sleeves 40 and 50 to press the diaphragms into firm contact with the sealing rings 35 and II, pressing the sealing rings into firm contact with the shoulders I! and I4 on the shaft 5. thereby preventing any leakage of liquid within the pump from passingthrough the seal I2, 35, being aided in this action by the presence of lubricant within the space ll. The lubricant is retained in the chamber 84 by virtue of the sealing contact between the outer sealing ri g 38 and the shoulder 14.

It will be noted that the packing gland construction has a diameter no larger than the diameter of the opening 3 in the pump casing and, by virtue of this construction, by looseningthe nuts 21 the impeller shaft 5 and the entire gland assembly may be removed from the pump casin 2 without disassembling the gland itself, or, if theshaft 5 is flxed to a motor or the like, by removing the impeller O and loosening the ring 24,

"the pump casing may be removed from the shaft 5 and the, gland assembly, leaving the latter intact.

Figure 4 illustrates a slightly modified form of oil circulating means. In the form of invention shown in thisflgure, the ring "a is provided with openings Sla and 92a in diametrically opposed relation. A sleeve III is disposed adjacent these openings and is provided with portions Ill and I02 which are bentradiallyinwardly, as indicated,

'to a point closely adjacent the shaft 5. The latter While I have shown and described above the preferred structure in which the principles of my invention have been embodied, it is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely different means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of my invention.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A packing gland for a shaft which passes through a casing wall, comprising a pair of axially spaced shoulders on said shaft, a pair of sealing rings disposed against said shoulders flexible means comprising tubular diaphragms of rubber like material connected to said sealing rings and to said casing wall in leak-tight relation, and lubricant impelling means for circulating lubricant through the interior of said flexible means for lubricating and cooling the area of contact between said sealing rings and said.shoulders, said lubricant impelling means comprising a part of the shaft disposed between said shoulders.

2. A packing gland construction for a pump having a casing and an impeller shaft extending therethrough, comprising means serving as a pair of spaced apart axially facing shoulders on the shaft, rigid sleeve means disposed between said shoulders, a central ring ot which said rigid sleeve means are connected, a sealing ring engaging each shoulder and having portions cooperating with said rigid sleeve means to preventrotation .of said sealing rings relative .thereto, a pair of flexible sleeves, each having a radially outwardly extending flange at one and disposed against said central ring and a radially inwardly extending flange at the other end, the radially inwardly extending flange on one sleeve being disposed against one of said sealing rings and the radially inwardly extending flange on the other flexible sleeve being disposed against the other sealin ring, springs pressing the radially inwardly extending flanges of said flexible sleeves against said sealing rings and serving thereby to press said sealing rings into sealing engagement with said shoulders on the shaft, said rigid sleeve means being spaced a small distance from said shaft and there being an aperture in said central ring communicating with the space between the rigid sleeve 'and said shaft, means for introducin lubricant into said space, and means passing through said central flange and the outwardly extending flanges of said flexible sleeves for clamping them in leak-tight relation to said casing. a

3. A packing gland construction for sealing a rotatable shaft to the casing through which the shaft passes, comprising a sealing ring engageable with the shaft in leak-tight relation, a flexible diaphragm fixed at one end to the casing and at the other end engageable with said sealing ring,

.spring means bearing against said other end of tween said sealing ring and said other-end of the diaphragm, and means connected with said casing and disposed closely adjacent said diaphragm for limiting the movement thereof in either direction, whereby pressure changes on opposite sides of the diaphragm will not force the same away from said sealing ring.

4. A packing gland construction for a. shaft, comprising a ring member closely encircling said shaft, sealing means connecting said ring member and the shaft, there being a pair of aligned apertures in opposite sides of said ring member. a lubricant inlet connected to one aperture and a lubricant outlet connected to the other aperture, said inlet and outlet apertures'being disposed to one side of the axis of said shaft whereby rotation of the shaft tends to draw in lubricant through the inlet and to discharge lubricant through the outlet.

5. A shaft seal comprising spaced shoulders on lubricant in through the intake opening and discharging the same through said discharge opening to maintain a circulation of lubricant through said casing by rotation of the shaft.

HARRY E. LA BOUR.

the shaft, a casing surrounding the shaft bev 

